Explorers of Sky: Before the Past
by Silverpeltwolf
Summary: Ever wonder what happened before Grovyle and his partner came to the past? Well here's your answer! From how they met to their separation traveling to the past. Rated T just in case. No slash just friendship.
1. Meeting

Whim looked grimly around her hometown, it was run down and there were fewer and fewer healthy people every day. Things needed to change, a month ago she would have been able to do something, a month ago the town Luxio had been her partner, a month ago the Sableye attacked, and a month ago the town's hope had died.

_Things need to change and they need to change soon._ Whim thought as she walked from the well to her home. She walked into her house and set the bucket of water down on the table. She sighed as she looked around the dark shack, it was dreary and depressing, everything was it had been for years. Even her own grandmother, who was the oldest person in the village, had never seen sunlight.

"Whim? Did you bring the water?" Her mother called out from her bedroom.

"Yes," Whim replied as she sat down in front of the fire and went through her backpack.

"What are you packing for?" Her mother asked.

"I'm going over the ridge to check on the Cliff Village, we haven't gotten any news from them recently." Whim answered as she finished packing.

"True but do you need to go now? It's almost time for bed." Her mother inquired. Whim looked at her as she stood up.

"It's always dark how can you tell when it's time for bed?" She asked as she left the house. The answer came so softly that she wasn't even sure she was supposed to hear the reply.

"I can't."

* * *

When Whim finally passed through the last of the treacherous ridge she saw why there had been no news. Cliff Village was in ruins. Whim ran recklessly down the hill and paused at the edge of the village. She glanced up as a Skarmory flew over her head, then walked into the village, searching for anyone still alive. Whim stopped at an archway and looked into what had been the town's food storage.

"No," Whim whispered as she looked away. There were so few people in the village that it wasn't hard to see that they had all perished here, defending the last of their food. "Sableye, so they came here too." Whim murmured as she moved away from the storage and the smell. She walked away and stopped at the town's center, a single torch still burned, even after a month it still gave off a warm glow. Whim picked it up and took it back to the storage, and set it afire.

"Rest in peace." Whim said as she tossed in the torch. She watched to make sure it burned then turned and left. As she passed through the ridge again she heard a commotion and climbed over a boulder to see what was going on. Whim's brown eyes widened when she saw the problem. A Treeko was fighting against two Fearow and he was losing.

Whim pulled a Blast Seed out of her pack and hurled it at the nearest Fearow. It collided with the Fearow's chest and exploded, knocking the Fearow over. The other Fearow glanced over and the Treeko took that opportunity to use its Pound attack. At the last moment the Fearow saw the attack coming and dodged it. The Fearow flew up into the air and came back down toward the Treeko.

"Look out! It's going to use Drill Peck!" Whim shouted. The Treeko tried to dodge and failed. The attack knocked the Treeko out cold, the Fearow flew up again, and turned its attention on Whim. The other Fearow finally regained its footing and charged her. Whim plunged her hand into her backpack, pulled out a Foe-Fear Orb, and slammed it down on the ground. The orb burst open and its power struck both Fearow. They shrieked in terror and fled. Whim dashed to the Treeko's side and picked him up.

"Hang in there Treeko! I'll get you patched up." Whim said as she dashed back toward her village.

* * *

Treeko slowly opened his eyes and saw an anxious human girl hovering over him.

"Wha?" He exclaimed as he sat up.

"Relax I'm a friend." She told him as she held up her hands placating.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Treeko demanded.

"You're in my house in Pewter Village." She answered. "My name is Whim." Treeko studied her quietly and narrowed his eyes.

"You-you're the one who tried to help me with the Fearow." Treeko said slowly.

"Tried? I did help you with the Fearow. Who do you think got rid of them after you got knocked out?" Whim asked as she put her hands on her hips.

"Why did you help me?" Treeko asked. "Most would have walked right on by."

"I'm not most." Whim replied.

"You didn't answer my first question." Treeko pointed out.

"I helped you because it was the right thing to do." Whim answered.

"There's an opinion that few have these days." Treeko said. Whim just shrugged.

"I do not like the idea of standing by idly while someone is in need of help." Whim told him. Treeko studied her quietly before jumping down from the bed. After looking around he started to look agitated. "What's wrong?"

"My bag! Where is it?" Treeko asked as he began to jump about the room.

"I didn't see a bag. I only saw you." Whim said as she stood up.

"No!" Treeko shouted in frustration. "I need that bag!"

"All right! Calm down! We'll go get it." Whim said.

"Good-wait what? 'We'?" Treeko repeated as he turned to her.

"Yes we, you're not in the best of shape just yet. I used my last Sitrus Berry to make an elixir for you while you slept. But you're still not fully healed, and I have no Oran Berries." Whim said.

"I didn't ask for your help." Treeko said.

"I didn't ask for your permission. Like it or not I'm going with you. There are a lot of Flying-type Pokemon around here. You're going to need my help." Whim replied.

"I'm not sure I trust you." Treeko said.

"I see little benefit in saving you from Fearow only to betray you to them." Whim said.

"You have a very naive way of thinking." Treeko said.

"I thinks it's quite logical, considering you didn't look all to good when I first saw you and considering that I never saw your bag." Whim replied. "And I wouldn't have wasted my last berry on someone I was going to betray."

"How do I know you're not lying about the bag." Treeko asked. "It could have fallen somewhere you couldn't reach and are just helping me so you can get to my bag."

"Which is still a waste of my last berry since I don't even know what is in your bag." Whim replied.

"Humph." Treeko grunted as he realized that she had a point.

"Satisfied?" Whim asked.

"All right, I'll trust you." Treeko said.

"Good, let's go then." Whim said as she picked up her backpack.

"Wait don' you need to get ready?" Treeko asked.

"This is everything I have for a trip to a mystery dungeon." Whim answered.

"Huh, I have one more question." Treeko said.

"Yes?" Whim looked at him expectantly.

"How is it that you can understand me so easily?" Treeko asked.

"I was wondering when you were going to ask me that question." Whim grinned.

"I had a few other more important questions to ask first." Treeko said grumpily. Whim laughed and gestured for him to follow her. "Hey! Answer my question!" Treeko called out as he ran out after her.

"Some other time, I have a few secrets and that happens to be one of them." Whim replied. Treeko paused in the doorway leading out of the house. Whim looked at him over her shoulder.

"There isn't much point in going on together if you don't trust me." Treeko said.

"I do trust you, but that doesn't immediately entitle you to all my secrets." Whim said as she continued down the path.

"Good point." Treeko said as he ran after her.


	2. Trust

Chapter 2: Trust

As Treeko walked beside Whim he quietly contemplated her. _I don't understand her at all, humans have become notorious for keeping their supplies to themselves, and it's so rare to hear someone say that they are helping without expecting a reward._

"There's steam coming out of your ears." Whim said suddenly.

"Absurd." Treeko replied as he glared up at her.

"Sorry, I couldn't help but comment at how quiet you've been, you have had such a grim look on your face the whole time." Whim said.

"I have not!" Treeko protested.

"What are you thinking of that has you looking so serious then?" Whim asked.

"You," Treeko said.

"Am I really such an oddity?" Whim asked.

"Yes you are!" Treeko answered.

"Then so are you." Whim said.

"What?" Treeko stared at her completely dumbfounded.

"Most Pokémon would have run the instant they woke up." Whim pointed out. "You didn't, you stayed, you listened, and you didn't attack me either."

"You helped me." Treeko replied looking away.

"You didn't remember that when you first saw me though." Whim said as she jumped over a boulder.

"I'm not that rash." Treeko retorted as he climbed over the boulder. "You backed away when I jumped up and showed me your hands, I knew I could at least listen to your story."

"I think you trusted me at that point, to not go after you at least." Whim said ducking under a floating tree.

"Humph!" Treeko grunted.

"Ah, up ahead! That's where you were fighting." Whim dashed ahead with Treeko following close behind. Whim vaulted over a floating rock and landed with a practiced ease. "Do you know where you dropped your bag?"

"It fell down between some rocks, but I'm not sure where." Treeko said as he began to investigate in-between rocks and trees. After a few moments of investigating Whim spotted it in a crevasse between two rocks.

"Here it is," Whim called out to Treeko as she began to crawl down between the rocks.

"Hey! Let me get it. I can climb better than you!" Treeko said as he looked down at her.

"In your condition? Not a chance, besides your bag looks like it would be too heavy for you to lift. Jeez, it looks almost bigger than you!" Whim said as she reached it. She tried to pull it off the tall rock it was looped around but her foot slipped. "Aaah!"

"Whim!" Treeko started down the rocks.

"I'm ok!" Whim called, she had wrapped her arms around the base of the tall rock.

"Are you sure?" Treeko asked.

"Yeah! Just let me climb up." Whim said as she placed her foot on a ridge in the rock. The rock shifted and above the ridge an eye opened up.

_An eye?_ Treeko thought in alarm. "Whim look out!"

"For what?" Whim asked looking around.

_She can't see it in that position!_ Treeko realized as the eye turned to see her. "It's right next to your right hip!" Whim twisted and spotted the eye just as it narrowed in anger.

_It's not a rock!_ Whim realized. _It's an-_ "Onix!" The Onix let out an enraged roar and hurtled upward with Whim hanging on for dear life.

"Whim!" Treeko yelled as he jumped out of the way of the oncoming Onix. The Onix burst out from between the two rocks causing Whim to cry out in pain as the rocks struck her. "Let go of him Whim!" Treeko knew even as he yelled the words that she couldn't, not from that height.

"Treeko! Help!" Whim called out in fear as the Onix flung its head from side to side, trying to dislodge her. "Aaaah!"

"Hang on I'm coming!" Treeko shouted as he lunged at the Onix. "Pound!" Treeko spun and struck the Onix with his tail. The Onix flinched and glared down at Treeko. Onix flung its tail around and brought it down toward Treeko. Treeko managed to dodge most of it but got hit enough to fling him across the clearing.

"Treeko! Use Quick Attack to get close then use Absorb!" Whim commanded. Onix threw its head back swinging Whim around to its back, where she managed to wrap her legs around its neck, giving her a better grip.

" Quick Attack!" Treeko shot forward. Onix saw him coming and smashed a bunch of rocks with its tail, sending them flying toward Treeko. "Agility!" Treeko evaded the rocks and jumped up onto the Onix's chest. Onix flailed about trying to dislodge him.

"Treeko hurry up and use Absorb." Whim yelled as her grip loosened.

"I've got one better! Mega Drain!" Treeko glow\ed green and a red glow spreaded out from beneath him and over the Onix, the Onix groaned as the red glow turned white and got absorbed by Treeko. Treeko jumps off, fully healed and looks up at the Onix as it sways back and forth. Onix opens its eyes and roars before falling over. "Whim!"

Whim yanks hard on Treeko's back, snapping the strap, before leaping from the Onix's back and grabbing hold of a floating boulder. Onix crashed into the ground, out cold. Whim swung her legs back and forth before letting go to land on a nearby rock, then jumped down to the ground.

"Well, that was fun." Whim panted. Treeko looked up at her.

"Ah! Whim, your hands are bleeding!" Treeko said. Whim blinked in surprise and lifted up her hands to look at them, they had several cuts all over them.

"Huh, well that's what I get for trying to hold on to a rock." Whim said, she glanced down at Treeko's worried face. "You're pretty high leveled. You're able to use Mega Drain."

"Yeah, I'd be stronger if I could evolve though." Treeko said as Whim sat down and pulled off her backpack. "Here let me, you'll get blood all over it." Treeko opened up the backpack and pulled out some bandages, Whim held out her hands as Treeko wrapped them up carefully.

"You seem to be strong enough. You beat Onix easy enough." Whim said as Treeko finished one hand and moved on to the other.

"Onix is a rock-type pokemon, I'm a grass-type, of course I managed it so easily. But as you pointed out there are a lot of flying-type pokemon around, I won't do so well against them, at least evolved I'd do better." Treeko replied as he finished up her other hand. Whim studied him quietly before looking at his bag.

"What's in here that was so important to you?" She asked as she picked it up, the seams tore and out fell several papers and a large, ancient green gear. "What is that?" She asked as she picked it up. She gasped as a wave of dizziness struck her. _Wha-what is this?_ Another wave hit her. _It can't be! But it is!_

"Whim! What's wrong?" Treeko asked worried as he looked into her face. Whim locked eyes with him.

"The Dimensional Scream." She whispered. Treeko watched in confusion as a flash of light shot across her eyes, then they glowed white!

"Whim? Whim!" Treeko called confused as she froze. "Whim can you hear me?" Whim did not respond to him at all, her eyes continued to glow white. Treeko looked down at the gear in her hands and pulled it away. He looked up at her again but nothing changed. Treeko paced in front of her anxiously until the glow faded away and she blinked.

"Ooh!" Whim said putting her hand down. "Whoa! It's been a while."

"A while since what? What happened to you?" Treeko demanded.

"It's called the Dimensional Scream, it's a very special ability that I have." She looked at the gear on the ground. "That is a Time Gear isn't it." Whim stated, more comment then question.

"How did you know that?" Treeko asked.

"The Dimensional Scream showed me." Whim replied. "Come on, let's gather this up and head to my grandmother's home, I can give you more details there, where we're not in the open."

"Alright." Treeko said as they began to gather things up. _Finally I'm getting some answers!_

* * *

**SamuraiMaster: **The humans did exist in the past they are just never mentioned in the past. I think this because when you first meet your partner and tell them that you're a human they don't ask what a human is.

**SamuraiMaster & Silent Treecko**: I promise that in the next chapter you'll get the explanation as to why Whim can understand Pokemon, and wether or not anyone else can.

** Fk306 animelover**: Thank you! ^^

Thanks for the reviews!


	3. Answers and Evolution

Chapter 3: Answers and Evolution

Whim sat quietly at the table across from her grandmother while Treeko sat on the edge of the table. Her grandmother regarded them quietly as she poured them some hot tea. She set one cup in front of Whim the other in front of Treeko. Her grandmother sipped at her tea and watched them some more. Whim had explained what had happened after the Onix fight and she had yet to say anything.

Treeko felt himself lose his patience and he opened his mouth to speak but Whim put a hand on his arm and when he looked at her, shook her head. Treeko scowled but didn't say anything. Whim picked up her tea and sipped at it. Her grandmother set down her cup.

"Are you sure it was the Dimensional Scream?" She asked quietly.

"Yes, it's been a while but there is no mistaking that feeling or the vision." Whim answered.

"Vision?" Treeko asked looking at Whim. Whim's grandmother looked at her sharply.

"You haven't told him?" She scolded lightly.

"I wanted to explain it somewhere less out-in-the-open." Whim replied. She turned to Treeko. "The Dimensional Scream is an ability that few are born with. When I touch certain things sounds and images from across time come into my mind."

"Amazing! I've never heard of such an ability." Treeko said

"Not surprising." Whim's grandmother said. "It is a talent that few boast about, it can attract the wrong kind of attention."

"What do you mean?" Treeko asked.

"Tell me, what was Whim holding when she had her vision?" Whim's grandmother asked.

"She told you already, the Time Gear." Treeko said, then it clicked. "The Time Gear!" He turned to Whim so fast he nearly fell off the table. "You had a vision about the Time Gear?"

"Yes." Whim confirmed. "That is the Dimensional Scream, visions of places and things connected to the Time Gears."

"What did you see in your vision! Where did this Time Gear come from! I must know!" Treeko cried.

"Why?" Whim and her grandmother asked, watching him carefully.

"Because it's necessary that I know!" Treeko answered.

"Do you intend to seek out all the places the Time Gears once were?" Whim asked.

"What do you intend to do after you've found out?" Whim's grandmother inquired.

"I have something I want to do with them, that's all." Treeko said crossing his arms, determined not to say anymore.

"Do you intend to find a way to the past? To stop this future from ever happening?" Whim's grandmother asked. Treeko turned away, refusing to answer.

"Do you even know how to get to the past? Whom to go to, to get there." Whim asked. Treeko blinked at looked at her.

"No." Treeko said.

"I do." Whim said.

"What? How?" Treeko asked, astonished.

"I looked around with Luxio, when he was alive that is, to see what we could accomplish." Whim answered.

"How'd he die?" Treeko asked bluntly.

"A Sableye attack, about a month ago." Whim answered.

"And you've done nothing? Why?" Treeko asked.

"Because the Dimensional Scream only works when she's with a trusted Pokemon partner." Whim's grandmother answered. At Treeko's puzzled expression she explained further. "You saw what happened when she had the vision, she's defenseless. A Pokemon partner is needed to keep her safe while she has her visions."

"Trusted?" Treeko repeated glancing at Whim.

"I told you I trusted you didn't I?" Whim smiled at his stunned expression.

"So quickly?" Treeko exclaimed.

"Yes." Whim said. "I knew I could trust you right away. Saving me from that Onix helped too." Treeko was quiet for a moment before he asked another question.

"How can the two of you understand me so easily?" Treeko asked.

"I can understand you mostly because of your expressions and gestures, partially because of my age, I've been around Pokemon all my life. It's to be expected that I get a better understanding of Pokemon." Whim's grandmother said. "However my understanding of you and Whim's understanding are two different things."

"What do you mean?" Treeko asked.

"To me, even though I understand the basic concept of what you are saying, it still sounds like you are saying 'treeko treeko treeko'." Whim's grandmother answered.

"However, to me it sounds like you are speaking plain English." Whim added. "It's a side effect from the Dimensional Scream."

"Amazing!" Treeko exclaimed. "Can anyone else do this?"

"Others as old and comfortable with Pokémon as I am, perhaps but otherwise, no." Whim's grandmother said. She turned her attention to Whim. "What did your vision show you?"

"I saw a forest and, oh grandmother!, I saw sunlight! It was so beautiful! The trees were full of leaves, and the wind was blowing! It was so green and alive, and in the back of an alcove I saw the Time Gear. It was glowing as it floated there. I heard a voice say that the Time Gear of Treeshroud wasn't guarded but didn't need to be because no one would ever steal a Time Gear." Whim answered.

"And yet that is what should have been done." Whim's grandmother said.

"Huh?" Whim and Treeko wondered.

"The Time Gears needed to be gathered, they needed to be taken somewhere but I don't know where." Whim's Grandmother said.

"Sound's like we have a lot of research to do." Whim said.

"Indeed you do." Whim's grandmother acknowledged. "You need to find the location of all 5 Time Gears, you need to discover what to do with them when you have them all, and get to the past successfully."

"How will we know where they are grandmother? No one remembers the names of the past! All the forests, caves, and mountains have been renamed!" Whim pointed out. Her grandmother stood up and walked over to an old chest in the corner of the room. She pulled up her necklace, revealing an old brass key on the end of it, and unlocked the chest. She pulled out an old map and a bag. She walked back over to the table and set them down in front of Whim and Treeko.

"I have been holding on to these for years, my grandmother, your great-great-grandmother gave them to me. She told me that her best friend, a Sunflora, had given them to her. Her Sunflora had been in a Pokemon exploration team before meeting up with her." Whim's grandmother explained. She picked up the map. "This is called a Wonder map, it'll show you all the old names of places where the Time Gears are, hopefully." She pointed to the bag. "This Treasure bag will hold a lot more items in it then your backpack Whim so take it with you ok?"

"Alright." Whim agreed. "Do you still have that?"

"Yes I've had it in safe keeping, do you want to use it?" Whim's grandmother asked.

"Yeah, he said it himself after all." Whim said.

"What are you two talking about?" Treeko asked. Whim's grandmother walked over to a stone shelf and pried out a stone and pulled out a small gem. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yes," Whim's grandmother replied. "It's a Luminous Jewel."

"That's incredibly rare! How did you come across it?" Treeko asked.

"This village has had two of them for years, as for how we came across them, that is a secret. Do you want to use it?" Whim's grandmother asked.

"Yes! With that I can finally evolve into Grovyle! I'll be stronger and it'll increase our chances of success!" Treeko answered. Whim and her grandmother grinned and Whim's grandmother started to hand it over to Treeko before she stopped. "What is it?"

"Will you get off my table? You'll be much bigger as a Grovyle and I don't want you standing on my table, it's not that sturdy." Whim's grandmother said giving him a stern look. Treeko rolled his eyes at her and jumped down from the table. He opened up his hand and she dropped the Luminous Jewel into his hand. As he tightened his fingers around it he began glowing white and shifting shape.

"Oh wow!" Whim murmured as she stood up from her chair.

"It never gets old, watching a Pokemon evolve." Her grandmother smiled as she watched. Treeko grew in size changed in shape then the glow faded and before them stood Grovyle.

"I've evolved!" Grovyle announced.

"Indeed you have!" Whim and her grandmother cheered.

* * *

**Luminous Jewel** - When you play the game you can only evolve using the Luminous Spring which wasn't usable while time was going out of wack, so I figured that Pokemon couldn't evolve in the furture without the power of the Spring so I created the Luminous Jewel, which is created from the remnants of the water from the spring, its just fossilized water basicaly.

Hope you're enjoying my story!


	4. Heading Out

Chapter 4: Heading out

"I forbid it!" Whim's mother shouted.

"It's happening whether you like it or not mother!" Whim shouted back.

"No! I will not have it!" her mother yelled. "Have you forgotten what happened the last time your used that power of yours?"

"Those were not Dusknoir's Sableye! They were just a gang of thieves!" Whim hollered.

"I don't care! I will not allow you to run around doing such a dangerous task!" her mother yelled.

"I run around all the time! You let me travel all alone all the time! You let me go to Cliff Village by myself!" Whim cried.

"This is different! And much more dangerous!" Whim's mother said.

"How? Grovyle will be with me!" Whim replied.

"And where is this Grovyle?" her mom demanded to know.

"He's at grandmother's house, getting his bag repaired." Whim answered.

"Delia! Of course she'd meddle in such a deadly affair." Her mom growled.

"She's willing to see a better future for everyone! Why aren't you?" Whim asked.

"Things are fine the way they are!" her mother replied angrily.

"Fine the way they are?" Whim repeated, utterly dumbfounded. Whim stared at her mother as though she were looking at a stranger. She felt rage build up in her and she stormed over to a window and flung aside the curtain.

"You look out this window and try to say that again." Whim snarled. "Every day one to three people get sick! Every other week one of them dies! Everyday there is less food, less medicine, less supplies! Soon there will be more attacks by not only Pokémon but people too!"

"Time is running out! Nothing grows mother! Nothing has since time stopped! If nothing is done soon, if I don't take this chance to change everything, everyone will die! Pokemon will outlast us but only by perhaps months! Even Primal Dialga will perish without food but he just can't see that in his madness!" By the end of her speech Whim was screaming and her mother had turned white.

"She's right, Holly." Both turned to see Whim's grandmother and Grovyle in the doorway. "She needs to do this now, there will never be a chance to change things after this, this is everyone's last chance at a better life." Whim's grandmother said.

"She could get killed doing this!" Holly cried.

"I'll protect her! I won't allow that to happen." Grovyle said.

"Holly, it's time for things to change. It's as Whim said, we are all doomed if things continue this way. They are our salvation, let them save us." Whim's grandmother said.

"Delia, I can't just let her wander off and not know what's become of her I can't do that!" Holly said sitting down at the table.

"She can do this, don't worry so much." Delia put a hand on Holly's head and picked up Whim's hand. "I know she can do this, she _will_ succeed." She looked at Whim. "Because at this point in time failure really just isn't an option."

"Yeah, no pressure or anything, thanks grandma." Whim said dryly.

"No problem dear." Delia replied patting her granddaughter's hand. Whim rolled her eyes and gave her grandmother a hug. Then she turned to her mom and placed both hands on her shoulders.

"I can do this mom. Just you wait and see, I'll change everything!" Whim glanced back at Grovyle. "_We_ will change everything." She turned back to her mom. "Everything will get better! You'll see sunlight! You'll be able to feel the wind, see how green and beautiful the world can truly be. Just trust me, mom! Let me do this!" Her mother took a deep breath and smiled a sad smile.

"Alright, go follow your destiny. I'll be wishing the very best for you." She said as she hugged her daughter.

"Thanks mom." Whim said as she stood up. Delia handed Whim a wrapped up item.

"Don't forget this, remember to look for Treeshroud Forest first." Delia said.

"Alright grandma will do." Whim said as she put it in her Treasure Bag. The three women had a quick group hug and then Whim and Grovyle headed out.

* * *

"Where is Treeshroud Forest from here?" Grovyle asked as he followed Whim. Whim turned around with the Wonder Map open in her hands.

"According to my grandmother we are over here." Whim pointed to a rock formation in the southeast corner of the map. "We're right next to this waterfall."

"What's the waterfall called? I see something written there." Grovyle said as he studied the map.

"Hmm, not sure some of the writing is worn away." Whim answered as she turned the map around to study it some more. "I can make out 'Fog' and 'Lake' quite clearly but not the middle part. Oh well, Fog Lake it is." Whim studied the map some more. "It looks like Treeshroud Forest is way up there." Whim pointed it out to Grovyle.

"So we need to travel North." Grovyle said. "What's that place called now?"

"I have no idea, I've never really traveled very far away from my hometown." Whim said as she put away her map.

"What was in that cloth that your grandmother handed you?" Grovyle asked as they headed down a steep incline.

"It's what first triggered my Dimensional Scream. It's called the Drought Stone, but even though I know it's connected to the Time Gears I don't know _how_ it's connected." Whim answered. "Wanna see it?"

"Sure." Grovyle said. Whim stabilized herself on the steep slope by putting her foot on a rock jutting out of the slope. She pulled out her package and as she started to untie the knots the rock she had her foot on cracked and broke off! Causing Whim to fall and loose her grip on the package.

"Whim!" Grovyle shouted as he grabbed her arm stopping her from tumbling down the hill.

"I'm fine get the stone!" Whim cried as she held on to a tree root. Grovyle leapt over her and charged after the Drought Stone. The bindings around it came off and the red stone became exposed. Grovyle kept his eye on the red stone as it bounced just out of reach ahead of him. He was so focused on the rock that he didn't see the Pokémon going after him.

"Grovyle look out!" Whim's scream made him look up. A Murkrow had seen the shiny rock and was headed for it.

"I don't think so!" Grovyle growled. "Quick Attack!" Grovyle shot forward and grabbed the stone. _What? It's warm!_ Grovyle didn't have much time to ponder the stone as the Murkrow began to attack him. Grovyle dodged its Wing Attack and used Slam to drive it into the ground. The leaves on Grovyle's arm glowed green and turned into a long blade that Grovyle used on the Murkrow as it turned to use Peck on him.

"That's Leaf Blade! Good job Grovyle!" Whim called out as she began to move down toward them. Seeing this Grovyle turned and threw the stone toward her. "Eek!" Whim sputtered as she juggled it for a moment before catching it. "Hey! Warn a girl before you do that!" She yelled as Grovyle returned his attention to Murkrow. Whim returned the stone to the bag.

"Whim! Look out!" Whim jerked her head up at Grovyle's shout. The Murkrow had slipped past him and was headed for her!

"Yikes!" Whim grabbed the first item her hand touched and threw it at the Murkrow. The Foe-Hold Orb struck it in the head and paralyzed it. "Phew!" Whim breathed as she slid down the slope to Grovyle's side. "Well that was unexpected," Whim said as she bent over to pick up the wrapping from the Drought Stone.

"Slam!" Whim turned around to see Grovyle knock out the Murkrow.

"Was that really necessary?" She asked disapprovingly.

"I don't want to risk it following us or calling any friends." Grovyle replied.

"Just don't overdo anything ok?" Whim said as she stepped off the slope onto a path.

"I'll do what's necessary to complete this mission." Grovyle told her as he walked beside her down the path. Whim sighed as they walked over a small hill. "This is Foggy Forest." Whim paused and then pulled out the map again. "What is it?"

"That name sounded familiar." Whim said as she studied it. "Look, see here? This Fog Lake is in the middle of Foggy Forest." Grovyle studied the area she pointed to.

"It seems the name hasn't changed from what it used to be." He commented.

"I can see why." Whim said a little dryly as she looked at the fog covered forest in front of her.

"Well, let's go." Grovyle said as he headed toward the forest.

* * *

I'm sooooooo sorry that it took me so long to update. Family drama + holiday = a lot of distractions

But I got it up before the new year! :D Yay me!

Don't be afraid to ask me questions!

Please Review!


	5. The First Stop

Chapter 5: The First Stop

"Keep up!" Grovyle called from the treetops as they went further into the forest.

"Easy for, _gasp_, you to say!" Whim wheezed as she ran beneath him on the ground. "I'm not built for this, _gasp_, sort of thing!"

"What do you mean? You're in good health and are used to dealing with rugged terrain, the forest should be a breeze for you." Grovyle said as he paused on a branch just ahead of her. Whim slowed awkwardly from her sprint to a stop in front of him.

"I've never, _gasp_, had to try to, _gasp_, keep up with a, _gasp_, Pokemon as fast as you." Whim panted out with her hands on her knees as she struggled to regain her breath.

"Didn't you ever race your old partner?" Grovyle asked.

"Not really." Whim said standing up straight. "We'd run around but he always kept pace with me."

"Huh, I thought you were in better shape than that." Grovyle commented.

"Was I supposed to race every fast Pokemon I saw?" Whim asked.

"We are a little pressed for time." Grovyle pointed out.

"We're only on a time limit if Primal Dialga finds out what we're up to." Whim replied as she jumped over a log and continued down the path.

"I'd like to get as much done as possible before that happens." Grovyle said as he followed her on the ground.

"You make it sound inevitable." Whim said.

"It is, as soon as we find a way to the past, Primal Dialga will know." Grovyle replied.

"Before that actually, now that I bother to think about it." Whim said thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" Grovyle asked.

"I told you before, my Dimensional Scream ability takes images and sounds from across time. I suspect that Primal Dialga may notice the ripples I'm causing if I use my power too much." Whim answered.

"Than we need to move quickly!" Grovyle cried. "A month ago you used it, and now you've used it again!"

"Calm down!" Whim replied. "It will take him a while, he's gone mad remember, he won't be able to connect the two that quickly because the events were so far apart. It's when I start continuously using it that Primal Dialga will start connecting the dots."

"Will you need to use it at Treeshroud Forest?" Grovyle asked.

"I don't know, maybe." Whim answered. "I-! Look out!" Whim and Grovyle jumped to opposite sides as a Hoothoot flew down at them.

"Quick Attack!" Grovyle called out as he darted forward. He dodged the Hoothoot's Peck attack and kicked it as he flew past. "Slam!" He brought his arms down on its head knocking it out of the air and it landed out cold on the ground. "There we go."

"Aah!" Grovyle spun around to see Whim dodging several Spark attacks from a Pachirisu. "Enough already!" She plunged her hand into her bag.

"Don't!" Grovyle said as he zipped past her. "Leaf Blade!" He dodged the Thunder Wave and hit the Pachirisu as hard as he could. It flew back but managed to land on its feet. "Quick Attack!" Grovyle hit it again and knocked it out.

"Yikes, that came out of nowhere." Whim commented as she walked over to his side. She glanced at him as he walked passed her down the path. "How come you told me not to use what was in my bag?"

"You don't have much in that bag of yours. I don't want you wasting it on weak Pokémon like this. We may need them later." Grovyle answered glancing over his shoulder to see her start following him.

"As sweet as that is," Whim said cheerfully ignoring Grovyle's "Humph!" and continued her point. "That makes me feel kind of worthless." Grovyle paused and turned around to look at her. "I kind of feel like a Time Gear detector if I can't do anything to help you in a fight."

"That's ridiculous! You have more worth than that!" Grovyle growled as Whim stopped in front of him. "You are the one who will make everything change! You are the one who is going to save all of us! You have a gift that will give us back our hope! You are not worthless!"

"Sure you might not be able to help me in a fight but that's ok! I have enough strength to protect you. You are going to reveal where the Time Gears are so we can use them to save the past and our future! It's ok if you can't fight, maybe we'll find more stuff along the way that will let you help me out in a battle. But for now just let me protect you." Grovyle said as he crossed his arms and looked away. Feeling a little embarrassed at having to say something that seemed a little mushy.

"Grovyle," Whim smiled wildly at him, flushed with pleasure at his kind words. She knelt down on the ground and gave Grovyle a big hug. "Thank you." Grovyle turned red and patted her awkwardly on the back.

"Yeah, sure, can we go now?" Grovyle asked. Whim let him go and stood up. They continued down the path.

* * *

"Ugh! How much farther?" Whim asked as they walked into a clearing that was more swamp than land. "What is all this? This isn't on the map!" Grovyle looked around as she studied the map. "Where the blue blazes are we?"

"I have no idea, you have the map." Grovyle said as he jumped on a levitating rock.

"I'm all turned around I don't know where we are." Whim said in frustration as she sat down on the ground. Grovyle studied his surroundings as best he could before sighing and joining Whim on the ground.

"If we could get rid of all this fog it would be easier." Grovyle sighed.

"'Get rid of the fog'." Whim repeated thoughtfully. Grovyle glanced at her to see her frown as she thought about something.

"What is it?" Grovyle asked.

"There is a way to lift the fog! I remember from my first vision! This place is connected to the Time Gears!" Whim announced standing up.

"Are you sure? It isn't some other place?" Grovyle asked.

"I'm almost 100% sure!" Whim replied. "Let's look around some and see if we can't figure it out!"

"Easier said than done considering all the water." Grovyle pointed out.

"A little water never hurt anybody." Whim replied as she started jumping on the rocks that floated over the swamp.

"Hey wait!" Grovyle sputtered as he jumped up and chased after her. "You need to be a little more careful! If something happens to you..."

"Don't worry so much!" Whim called out. "Hey look at that! There's a statue!" Whim paused on a rock and pointed to it. "But what is it doing way out here?" Grovyle paused on the rock next to hers.

"I don't know, let's go see." Grovyle said. They continued over the rocks toward it. "There isn't much land around it."

"That's ok." Whim said as she jumped down onto the narrow strip of land surrounding the statue, grabbing hold of it for balance. "See? No problem...oh!"

"What is it?" Grovyle asked from his perch on a broken tree.

"The Dimensional Scream." Whim whispered as she fell to her knees. Grovyle jumped from the tree to the top of the statue. _If she has a vision here than that means the Time Gear is here._ Grovyle thought as he kept an eye on Whim and another eye on his surroundings.

After a while Whim blinked and shook her head, Grovyle grabbed her shoulder so she wouldn't fall into the water. Whim smiled at him then brushed her hand over the statue, pushing away moss from it to see what it was.

"That's it!" Whim said excitedly. Grovyle glanced at what she had exposed.

"It's here?" He asked in confusion.

"It's here!" Whim shouted as she studied the head of the Pokemon she had exposed. "This is the Groudon statue!"

"Groudon? The legendary Pokémon that created the land?" Grovyle asked.

"Yes! This is what lifts the fog!" Whim said as she reached down and brushed away some dirt and moss to reveal a hole in the statue. "Groudon's heart is here."

"Huh? How is this connected to the Time Gears?" Grovyle asked her. Whim plunged her hand into her bag and pulled out the Drought Stone. Grovyle looked from the stone to the hole. "I see! Place the Drought Stone in Groudon's heart."

"That lifts the fog!" Whim told him excitement make her eyes dance.

"Very well done! Good job, partner!" Grovyle congratulated her. Whim smiled at him as she placed the Drought Stone in place. The eyes glowed red after a moment, then the earth began to shake. "Whim, come on!" Grovyle grabbed her hand and pulled her onto a nearby floating boulder. Behind them the Groudon statue glowed white then the brilliance of that glow overcame them, flashing so brightly that it blinded them.

"Ack!" Whim sputtered as she buried her head in Grovyle's shoulder in an attempt to hide her eyes from the light. After a few moments Grovyle patted her shoulder.

"It's gone! The light is gone and so is the fog!" Grovyle told her. "You have to see this, partner!" Whim turned and looked up to see what Grovyle was pointing at.

"Oh wow!" Whim gasped at the sight. A giant bowl shaped landscape hovered above them, at one point in time it had started to fall off the thin, rocky column that held it above the land, but when time stopped it froze the fall, holding it forever suspended. "Up there, the Time Gear has to be up there!"

"Wonderful." Grovyle said dryly. At Whim's confused look he added. "How exactly do we get up there?"

"We look around for a path!" Whim answered.

"Any path that used to be there is long gone." Grovyle pointed out.

"Than we look for the new one!" Whim said as she started jumping from floating rock to floating rock.

"What makes you so sure that there will be a new one?" Grovyle asked as he followed her.

"Obviously Pokemon will of still gone up and down it despite its sideways posture." Whim replied.

* * *

"Huh, so you were right after all." Grovyle said as he studied the cave.

"Yep, it looks like the old entrance was over there but caved in from the collapse of this place." Whim said as she pointed to a blocked entrance further away. "Let's go! I'll race you here!" Whim bolted into the cave.

"Hey!" Grovyle shouted in mild irritation as he ran after her. After racing through several floors, fighting and evading various Pokemon, they reached a new area.

"What's this?" Whim asked as she studied the Kangaskhan Rock in front of her.

"A halfway point, more or less." Grovyle told her.

"Yay! That means we're almost there!" Whim said happily.

"It also means things might get a little harder." Grovyle said.

"That's ok! We can make it through just fine!" Whim grinned. Grovyle returned the smile and they continued through the maze of floors. "Yikes! There are a lot of fire-type Pokemon running around."

"I've noticed." Grovyle said warily. Whim looked at him, feeling worried.

"You holding up ok?" Whim asked.

"Don't worry I'm doing alright." Grovyle reassured her.

"Ok, well I looked at the map again earlier..."Whim started.

"What? When?" Grovyle asked staring at her in astonishment.

"When you were fighting that Granbull." Whim replied. "Acording to the map the old cave was called Steam Cave and had 8 bottom floors, then 7 higher floors, and then the top floor. This cave seems to be similar, so we only have to find the staircase on this floor than..."

"We should be at the top." Grovyle finished.

"Exactly!" Whim agreed. They raced through the floor and ended up finding a lot of dead ends. "Where is the staircase! We've been in every bloody room!" Whim shouted in frustration.

"Calm down, we haven't been in every room, I think we have two rooms left." Grovyle said.

"Ugh, I'm running out of stamina." Whim groaned. "And we still have to get down from this place once we find the Time Gear."

"We could just slide down the side of the, for lack of a better word, mountain." Grovyle said sarcastically.

"Hmm, that could be fun." Whim said seriously.

"I wasn't being serious!" Grovyle said slightly alarmed.

"I know but it still sounds like a good idea." Whim replied cheerfully.

"Absolutely not!" Grovyle growled at her irritably as she smiled at him. Whim peeked around the corner and her smile got bigger.

"Finally! We found the staircase!" Whim said as she raced toward it.

"The Time Gear should be at the top of the stairs!" Grovyle said eagerly. Something moving on the ridge above him made him glance up. "Whim! Stop!" Whim skidded to a halt just as a Magmar dropped down between her and the staircase. Two more dropped down behind Grovyle. Grovyle and Whim backed up till they were back to back. A few Farfetche'd and Kricketune also came down from above.

"What is this?" Whim asked, frightened.

"It's a monster house!" Grovyle answered. Whim counted the Pokemon surrounding them. _Ok, so we have 3 Magmar, which are fire-type Pokemon. Than we have 2 Farfetche'd, which are flying-type and lastly 4 Kricketune, a bug-type. Not good, Grovyle is at a serious disadvantage in this fight._ Whim thought with a quick glance at Grovyle, who was looking tense. _I might not be able to do a lot to help in this fight but I can do this!_

Whim pulled out a Rainy Orb and slammed it into the ground. Grovyle looked up, a little startled at the sudden downpour. _One day I'm going to figure out how that works_. Grovyle though briefly. _We're in a cave, it shouldn't be raining._

"I thought I told you to save you're items." Grovyle scolded lightly.

"I figured I could at least weaken the fire-type moves." Whim replied.

"Thanks, partner." Grovyle accepted.

"No problem!" Whim murmured as the Magmar in front of her began to advance. "Try to take the Kricketune out first, see if you can get the Mamar to use attacks on the other Pokemon."

"Right." Grovyle said as a Farfetche'd used Wing Attack. "Quick Attack!" Grovyle dodged around it and took out a Kricketune. "Quick Attack!" Grovyle evaded two Flamethrowers, both of them hit enemy Pokemon instead, a Farfetche'd and a Kricketune.

"Three down! Three to go!" Whim called as she ran around a Magmar that was intent on catching her. Two Wing Attacks and a Slam later the last of the Farfetche'd and Kricketune were out cold as well.

"Whim!" Grovyle raced forward as the Magmar finally cornered her. But the other two blocked him. "Crap!" Grovyle jumped to avoid a Fire Spin and tried to get around them to Whim. "Whim, I'm coming, hang in there!"

"It's heating up over here! Please hurry!" Whim called from where she was pressing herself into a corner. Grovyle used a quick Leaf Blade on one of the Magmar, doing little damage, he quickly dodged a Confuse Ray from the other. _Wait, if I can get one of them to use that move on the other_. Grovyle thought as he landed between them.

"Is that the best you can do?" He taunted. The Magmar used Confuse Ray again and Grovyle jumped straight up, causing it to hit the other Magmar. In its confusion it used Fire Punch on its partner. "Slam!" Grovyle knocked out the partner. "Slam!" He knocked out the confused one.

"Grovyle! I think it's going to use Lava Plume!" Whim screamed as the Magmar tensed up and the heat from it increased dramatically. "Aaah! Too hot!" Whim cringed in pain from the heat and threw up her hands in a fruitless attempt to ward it off. "Help!"

"Agility!" Grovyle shot forward, he nimbly jumped over the Magmar, grabbed Whim, and then jumped up to avoid most of the Lava Plume. "Nhh!" Grovyle landed hard behind the Magmar.

"Ouch!" Whim grunted as she hit hard. "Grovyle! Are you ok?" Grovyle picked himself up.

"I'll be fine. Get to the staircase." Grovyle instructed as he faced the Magmar.

"I'm not going anywhere without you." Whim said as she got up on her knees.

"I'll catch up, but I don't want you in danger." Grovyle instructed. Whim stood uncertainly and started backing up toward the staircase.

* * *

**RaNdOm CaT927**: I do no change from past tense to present tense on purpouse. I have trouble keeping certain words in past tense, but it is supposed to be in all past tense.

Floating Rocks: All the floating rocks is from what I saw when my pokemon were in the future. Cause you see them all over in the future while you are there. So I just kind of threw them in in random spots.

Wow this is twice as long as the other ones!

Please enjoy and review please!


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